It was some twelve years back that I had the blessing of getting to know Mr. Tharakan Jacob. He took proud in introducing himself to me as the grand-son of Kileelathu Chackochan, the only lay person to reunite with the Catholic Church, along with Servant of God Archbishop Mar Ivanios. As a priest in the Malankara Catholic Church, I felt drawn to him, the moment he mentioned about Chackochan. A kind of supernatural bond.

Over the years, our relationship also got deeper. A couple of years back when he came back to India, with the motive of an extended period of stay in Trivandrum, our relationship got further strong. We used to exchange a call at least every other week. One thing I noticed was, he did not want to exploit his status as the grandson of Kileelathu Chackochan; rather he took it as a call from God to dedicate himself for the Church and society. He began to get more involved in charitable works by volunteering himself at Snehaveedu, a home for the aged and destitute, run by the Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum.

Mr. Tharakan wanted to see that lay people are more involved in the missionary activities of the Church. For some time, his constant preoccupation was on how to promote lay initiatives in the Church. When His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos established “Kileelathu Chacko Foundation” in 2022 at the Malankara Major Seminary, to promote studies on lay involvement in the Church, Mr. Tharakan’s joy knew no boundaries. He supported the Foundation with a good financial assistance, too.

Mr. Tharakan had a very special love towards the priests and tried his best to support them in whatever way he could. I thankfully remember that he was a benefactor of the Malankara Major Seminary.

Mr. Tharakan went back to his heavenly home at the age of 64. We may think it was a little early. However, no time is early to get one’s home. May his soul rest in peace.